Baku: The parliamentary election held in Azerbaijan was democratic and fair. Candidates from the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) won most of the votes because the majority of the population support the president’s policy. A party’s popularity is defined with its leader’s popularity, Sergey Markov, chairman of the international cooperation commission of the Russian Public Chamber, said at a briefing held in “Rossiya Segodnya” press center in Baku Nov.2.

Sergei Markov, who leads the observation mission comprised of Russian MPs and public figures, said Azerbaijan’s parliamentary election results were as expected, adding that the election reflected the people’s will.

He noted the fact that independent candidates and opposition representatives also vied along with candidates from the ruling party for seats in parliament, saying equal opportunities had been provided to everyone.

“Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s policy is aimed at political stability in the country. This is why the people voted for candidates of the ruling party. Prior to Heydar Aliyev came to power, Azerbaijan was on the verge of civil war. But today the country is prosperous and stable. With so much popularity, the New Azerbaijan Party could have won all the seats in parliament. But it stepped aside silently, allowing independent candidates to occupy seats in parliament too,” he said.